The other day, someone complimented me on being successful due to my "passion for work". Although I thanked them, the truth is, I am not.
Firstly, let me acknowledge that any success, if at all, achieved at Metaphor Racha is not due to my passion, but it has always been & will continue to be a collective effort that includes our valued customers.
I do not have a specific "major goal" for my business, nor do I work tirelessly to achieve it "at any cost". However, I do have smaller implementable objectives & I am ambitious.
With limited resources, I cannot persist endlessly. If something is not working as planned, I move on to revisit at a much more appropriate time, & it's not the same as giving up. For example, when we tried selling menswear & infant clothing on our website, it didn't work. We used logic, listened to our customers, spoke with friends, & ultimately made an informed decision to discontinue without being emotional. I don't suffer from the Ostrich effect.
Passion cannot compensate plan. Being meticulous, I have a flowchart of my work, almost mathematical. I always have plan B & plan C. Simple systems in place & healthy pessimism have worked for me.
At times, passion could pressurise us to think about who we should be instead of simply striving to be the best version of ourselves. I am more than my work & I can't be passionate about everything I do in life. I know many of my friends who are not passionate about cooking, yet, they do a stellar job at it. Our studio help is not passionate about sweeping, but she doesn't leave any furniture unturned & cleaned.
Passion could be about understanding purpose in life without focusing too much on the future while making the present obsolete. I have seen some of my friend's reckless passion, their lonely journey, & being unnecessarily over-invested. I have also seen them taking every failure as a personal attack.
Dear craftpreneurs, with age, I can assure you that it's possible to be content without being passionate at work. Be practical, consistent at work & prioritise health.
Remember, love is blind & so is passion.
Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion & you can disagree passionately.
